Author: Ascension Knights Council 11139

On Wednesday, April 10, seven Ascension Knights traveled to Fisher House St Louis at Jefferson Barracks in South St. Louis to deliver a check for $750, representing proceeds from our annual veterans breakfast last November. We were met and welcomed by Retired Colonel Jim Donahoe, President; and Laura Newman-Howe, Executive Director, who gave us a tour and the history of the Fisher House Foundation, a private non-government-funded organization with 100 facilities across the country. This is a first-class facility and staff to welcome family members of military and veterans who are receiving medical treatment in St. Louis. It offers free housing, food and transportation for the duration of their stay. To say our council should be proud of the support we have given and continue to give to this facility would be an understatement. We hope to see you at the next veterans breakfast, to be held November 10!

The election of officers for the 2024-2025 fraternal year will be held at the General Council meeting on May 28.  All members in good standing are entitled to vote at the meeting. 

All third-degree members are eligible to serve as officers. Nominations are being accepted now for all elected positions and will be accepted until the vote is taken at the May Council meeting. Please provide the qualifying attributes of anyone you nominate.  We currently need nominees for the Deputy Grand Knight and 3-year Trustee positions, but additional nominations will be accepted for all positions. 

We spend six weeks each year during Lent fasting, praying and almsgiving. We hope to unite our fasting and praying with Jesus’ 40 days of fasting and praying in the desert, to focus on preparing both our inner and outer selves to celebrate the great Easter feast. We give alms to identify with that great sacrifice of God giving His only-begotten Son. With Easter on March 31 this year, I hope this finds that you had a very blessed celebration of this central Christian feast! Easter certainly brings thoughts of newness and renewal. We hope our fasting, praying and almsgiving renews our closeness to God.

As Spring settles in, I observe the many rituals of the season. I think of newness and renewal. Outside beds are prepared for new planting. I see the new blossoms on trees and flowers reaching full bloom, lengthening of daylight, and a rush of sounds and sights not seen for many months. Schoolchildren begin to count down the days to summer vacation. Parents do the same counting down…perhaps without the joy of the children!

Spring seems to elicit looking forward. As I look forward this spring, I am renewed in my mission to meet with my members. I want to keep you apprised of any changes you might want to consider in your insurance program. I hope you will keep me apprised of any changes in your circumstances. Adjustments can be made to make sure that you are on the path to reach your goals. The Order offers a diverse array of products and services to help you do that. Together we can complete or update your financial needs analysis. This can show where you stand and helps discover any gaps in protection you might have. Our products: life insurance, retirement annuities, long-term care insurance and disability income insurance, are our core products to help protect you and your family. I’ll call on you soon to see if it makes sense to arrange for a meeting.

Vivat Jesus!

As we strive to enrich our prayer life during Lent and beyond, please consider the opportunities to become a Prayer and Cancer Warrior here at Ascension. Here are some ways we can reach out to our Father in Heaven: 

Daily Mass – Bolster our prayer efforts by attending Daily Mass, Monday through Friday at 6:30 AM, 8 AM or Noon.

Adoration – Occurs Tuesdays and Thursdays in the Little Church beginning at 7 AM and concluding with Benediction at 7 PM. Please do visit with our Lord for an hour!

Become a Prayer Warrior by sending your prayer request(s) emailing those requests to: Prayerline@asc.church ! Please consider joining the weekly Rosary for Healing on Thursdays in the Main Church at 11:30 AM.

Ascension Council is also launching the Cancer Warrior program making “Every Day is a Gift” Prayer Book and the Cancer Warrior Wristband available to all those wanting to support Knights and Ladies Auxiliary members, friends, family, and parishioners with their cancer challenges! Our initial supply of these items will be available in early March for a donation. Prayer books are $10 each and wristbands $2. Please contact Larry Wilson at bevandlarrywilson@outlook.com to join in.

Congratulations to our football pool winners this past season!

Feb. 11: Daryl Abramovitz and Matt St. John

Jan. 30: Bob Kalinich and Tricia Veit

Dec. 30:  Dave Engelman and Dick Sawyer

Dec. 25: Natalie Miller and Bob Nuelle

Dec. 18: Brian Lamoureux and Kevin Foster

Dec. 11: Sophia Marshall and Cathy Taylor

Dec. 4: Kevin Gallen and Brian Fenili

Nov. 27: Lauren Imlay and John Naegel

Nov. 20: Cliff Weeks and Margie Bange

Nov. 13: Virginia Fenili and Justin Marshall

Nov. 6: Val Wilkinson and Ron Meier 

Oct. 30: Virginia Stamer and Michael Stafford

Oct. 23: Peter Muzik and Justin Marshall

Oct. 16: Bob Brune and Tyler Dinkelaker

Oct. 9: Andy Bardon and Debra Kempa 

Oct. 2: Matt St. John and Daryl Abramovitz

Sep. 25: Dave Engelman and Dick Sawyer

Sept. 18: Diane O’Brien and John Clark

Sept. 11: Tim Lewis and and Bob Nuelle

The January 23 meeting will have an update on Knights of Columbus financial and insurance programs from our field agent, McClellan. 

Our guest speaker for the February 27 council meeting will be Fred Domke of the Bridge Bread Bakery.  Bridge is a non-profit St. Louis charitable retail bakery enterprise located on Cherokee Street in St. Louis.  It provides gainful employment to people without safe and stable housing.  While learning the business, many of these people continue to work for Bridge while others leave to join other bakeries or start their own.

Brother Knight Gregory Casalone will be our guest speaker for the March 26 council meeting.  He represents the Rural Parish Mobile Dental Clinic which was established in 2019 by Archbishop Carlson and Dr. John Landgraf. The clinic treats dental patients who do not have insurance and are below the poverty rate, such as a family of four who earns less than $60,000/year.  The clinic’s impressive treatment statistics encompass all aspects of dentistry. Dr. Casalone practiced dentistry for 43 years in Elsberry, and started with the clinic in June 2021 as co-director and staff dentist.

Dear Brother Knights,

I’m writing this note in support of the upcoming Ascension Parish Gala, to be held April 20 at the Factory in Chesterfield Valley. As you may have seen in the bulletin, the cost of tickets are $125 per person. That’s not an insignificant sum, particularly for many who already support the parish as we do. 

I’m writing in support of the Gala and the 45-year-old-and-under cohort that manages that effort. This is the same group who supported our golf tournament by providing 15 percent of our player field and four silver sponsorships at $1,000 each, representing 29 percent of our major sponsor total. Like the Knights of Columbus and Ladies Auxilliary, they know how to positively impact our parish! Please consider supporting them and our parish by attending the gala.

Laura and I will see you there!

Dan Duffy, Community Programs Director

By Grand Knight John Brugger

As we embark on a new year we always look back at the previous year as to what we have done; what have we accomplished and what do we want to change for the future.  I always want to remind our membership that we need each of you to be engaged with our Council.  Our strength comes from your involvement in all our numerous charities that we support, our parish, school, the unborn, the disabled, our veterans, etc.

I always recall back to that special relationship that Pope John Paul II had with the Knights.  He called us the “strong right arm of the church.”  He was very aware of our commitments to family; the teachings of the church; our support of our priests and promoting religious vocations, and that the Knights would always be there to defend the church. 

This year we see too many challenges throughout the world where our Catholic faith is under attack.  I ask you all to pray for our priests, our country, and our entire world that the peace of Christ will reach us all.  Thank you to all of our Knights that stay engaged and involved in our Council for working together we are strong, and our faith will not be shaken.

Finally, I encourage all of you to consider joining us for the Ascension Gala in April. Click here for information. When purchasing tickets, you can, enter “Knights” in the Group Name, so we can be seated at the same table.

Club 150 wraps up its third annual program December 28 with the final $3,000 grand prize drawing and check presentations to Fr. Hambrough for Ascension School and the parish, $5,000 each.

Deadline for joining and to be entered in the drawing is noon Friday, December 22.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ONLINE FORM

By Grand Knight John Brugger

Last month, we sold out our Annual Children’s Charity Golf Tournament.  This month at the October meeting we will announce the results of the money raised, which promises to set records on the amount contributed for this event. We will be presenting checks to our two charities, Ascension Little School and Academy St. Louis.  We will also present a check to our Ladies Auxiliary thanking them for their help and support of this event.

October is also the time when the Knights support our annual Developmental Disability (Tootsie Roll) Drive. Many Knights were engaged to help cover all the exits after mass to solicit donations and again at the exits of Schnuck’s and Dierberg’s.  The results are still being tabulated but rough estimates suggest we will surpass last year’s donations and were able to exceed our goal of $8,000 because of your generosity and time. A special thank you goes to Mike Pfeifer and the captains who did a great job: Bob Claus, Dan Duffy, Ron Meier and Ted Naegel.

November is the month when we remember our Knights and Ladies who have passed with our Annual Memorial Mass. Please plan to join us for Mass at 6:30 PM Tuesday, November 21. Our monthly Council meeting will follow at 7:30 PM in the MPR.

Save the Date: Our annual Christmas Party is planned for Saturday evening, December 16.  A catered event is being planned and Bob Jenkins will again be providing the music and entertainment with a special appearance by Santa Claus.